Emerging Empires: Greece, Rome, and Persia

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Emerging Empires: Greece, Rome, and PersiaHow did the political structures and cultural practices of the Greek city-states, such as Athens,Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth, influence the development of Western ideals, and in what ways cantheirlegacies be seen in modern societies? In your answer, address the key aspects ofgovernance, social life, and military practices in these city-states, and reflect on their lastingimpact on Western thought. Your response should be approximately 800-1000 words.Greco-Roman culture has fascinated western scholars for centuries. As a result, it holds a larger-than-life placein influencing Western society. The ideals of Greco-Roman culture, from philosophy to democracy, have beenpreserved over time. As a result, many of the events, inventions, and discoveries of the Greco-Roman Empireneed to be understood.And yet, the Greeks and Romans were not all-powerful groups. The emergence of larger and larger empires isvery important for understanding human history, but the preservation efforts of Islamic scholars and theadministrative practices of Indian and Chinese Empires might have been more important to the time periodthan the traditions of Greece or Rome. The rise of Persian autonomy in the fifth century BCE marked a majorshift in and of itself. However, since history is often written by picking and choosing what people wish to study–from the Renaissance scholars studying ancient Greek ideas to the Enlightenment thinkers who translatedRoman traditions into new forms of government–the histories of Greece, Rome, and Persia must be learnedand understood. See if you can find elements from modern life through the histories of these emergingimperial powers.Ancient Greek SocietyAncient Greece was more of a collection of powerful cities that individually rose and fell in influence overnearby towns and city-states. There are three primary periods of ancient Greek history: Archaic Greece,Classical Greece, and Hellenic Greece.Archaic Greece(800-500 BCE) was dominated by two traditionalempires that were more territorial in their power: the Mycenaean and Minoan empires. During this period, thecities of Greece followed a more traditional territorial monarchy but by the end of Archaic period cities hademerged with fresh identities that superseded the power of kingdoms and defined Ancient Greece as a whole.TheMinoan Empire(2600 to 1600 BCE) benefitted from location and trade. Settled on the island of Crete,the Minoans were a key trading port. By determining the conditions for trade, they were able to consolidatetheir power. TheMycenaean Empire(1600 to 1100 BCE) followed the Minoans but created a flourishingpower out of conquest, slowly collecting the allegiances of weaker cities around them. However, this sense ofcentralized power did not endure; with the advent of democracy in some local settlements, individual Greekcity-states grew in power, authority, and loyalty. Even those city-states that did not adhere to democracy, butrather clung to individual monarchies, nevertheless developed complex ideas of citizenship that underscoredthe loyalty to a particular city-state. These cities would bargain in influence, creating networks of neighboringregions that flowed with greateror lesser power.

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